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Cindy
Q: 

Is this a skin condition, or more?

By November 2, 2008 - 4:23pm
 
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I have a male friend who happens to be gay. I pose this question, in this way, for two purposes. First, I became aware of his lifestyle and second was concerned with physical appearances that I noticed. The gentleman has several (what looks like blackheads) on his face, mainly in the high cheek area. Recently, I noticed there are now several large (what I would call zits) that have appeared on the back of his neck. Please keep in mind, this is an older gentleman and by no means in puberty age, more relevant to retirement age.

Of course, AIDS, came to mind due to the awareness of his lifestyle. Does anyone know what this might be? Should I be concerned? Is this just a skin condition and I am now concerned due to my awareness?

Thanks for your help.

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Diane Porter

Cindy, I would just add to Alison's post that people of every age are getting acne these days. A number of things are thought to be possible causes -- growing pollution, allergies, changes in diet, and hormonal changes (at any age, not just in adolescence). A new medication, skin cream or sunscreen could also affect this.

Here's a Mayo Clinic page on adult onset acne.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adult-acne/AN01762

And here's a page from the American Academy of Dermatology:

http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_acne.html

Your friend is lucky to have another friend looking out for him. Take care.

November 3, 2008 - 9:46am

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Alison Beaver
Empowered

Hi,

I believe what you are referring to is Kaposi's sarcoma, which is an AIDS-related skin infection that is cancerous. It appears as purpose skin lesions. According to WebMD, KS spreads quickly and can be treated with surgery (before it spreads to other organs).

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/aids-related-skin-cond...

Have you noticed any other possible signs or symptoms of your friend being sick, indicating that his immune system is compromised? Fatigue and swollen lymph nodes are often first signs of HIV infection.

It also likely (perhaps more likely) that your friend has acne, eczema, dermatitis, warts or moles. He may not have noticed the blackhead on the back of his neck, as a friend, can you ask him if he's had it checked out by a dermatologist? It could also be a sign of skin cancer that should be looked at by a doctor.

November 2, 2008 - 8:59pm

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